New Fusion Titanium raises the bar

Sunday

Dec 9, 2012 at 6:00 AMDec 9, 2012 at 1:08 PM

By Peter Couture and Lyra Solochek Tampa bay Times

One measure of the U.S. auto industry is how well it competes in the family sedan market. Until fairly recently, it has been outclassed by its import competition. Now, however, Ford has redesigned its midsize Fusion, raising the bar for the American midsize sedan.

Styling: From a design standpoint, our favorite midsize sedans have come from Korea. Now we can add the Fusion to the list. Peter, an Aston Martin fan, loves the hexagonal, Aston-inspired grille. The sculpted body has far more character than the previous Fusion — it’s not even close. The slender and bold headlights give the car a slightly menacing look. In the rear, there are wrap-around LED taillights that look sharp and mimic the Focus compact sedan. Our tester came with 19-inch dark stainless-painted aluminum wheels, which looked sharp against the bright Platinum White paint.

Performance: The Fusion feels solid. Our tester had all-wheel drive, which helps keep the car stable in cornering, as do a longer body (1.2 inches) and increased wheelbase (4.8 inches). The electronic power steering is firm, yet has good feedback, even at higher speeds. We drove the 2.0-liter inline-4 EcoBoost that puts out 240 horsepower, which is peppy enough that you’re tempted to play heavy with the accelerator. The 6-speed SelectShift automatic shifts smoothly. Overall, the feel is sporty, and the driving experience enjoyable. The mpg of 22 city and 31 mpg is competitive in the class.

Interior: The cabin is a blend of textures and materials that recalls some of our favorite imports. We had the top-level Titanium trim and were impressed with the details, from its grippy, leather-wrapped steering wheel to the placement of speakers in the front doors. The well-bolstered, sport-stitched leather seats are firm, yet comfortable. The 10-way adjustable driver’s seat has a power lumbar support and three memory settings. There is plenty of head- and legroom up front, but tall passengers may feel constricted in the rear seats because of the sloping roof-line. We did have some nits: The lip of the trunk is thick, so shorter Lyra found it difficult to grip it to close the lid. Even though the MyFord Touch system has improved a lot, the screen buttons are too small and too much near the corners. As Lyra found out, they can be difficult to navigate for someone with longer fingernails. Also, our tester’s charcoal-black interior could have used much more accent trim to break up the dark, monochromatic look.

The bottom line: When Peter’s younger daughter, who is now used to riding in a variety of cars, sat in the Fusion, she asked: “This is a Ford?” Indeed it is, and the Fusion is now among the top of the midsize class.

Our 3 favorites: The new look is classy, striking and modern; the 4-cylinder EcoBoost provides plenty of power; and the gadgetry and available safety systems.